Category: Cowboys (Page 49 of 55)

A New Attitude and Mind

November 12, 2007 / Allan / 0 Comments

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of your redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.” ~Ephesians 4:29-32.

There’s an old story about Woody Hayes, the volatile Ohio State football coach. In a 1968 rivalry game against the hated Michigan Wolverines, Hayes ordered his team to attempt a two-point conversion in the 4th quarter of a contest the Buckeyes wound up winning 50-14. Asked why he went for two, Hayes replied, “Because I couldn’t go for three.”

That’s bitterness. That’s malice. That’s rage. And I love that story. It’s hilarious. But Hayes never could get rid of it. That bitterness and rage took him over, ate him up, and eventually cost him his job.

Paul tells us that, as disciples of Christ, we’re to put off the old self and “be made new in the attitude of your minds.” We’re to “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” You can’t excuse rudeness or abrasiveness or mean words or hurtful comments by saying, “Well, that’s just who I am” or “Well, that’s just the way he is.” The apostle says that grieves the Holy Spirit of God. Unwholesome talk is, according to Paul, any talk that doesn’t build others up and meet their needs. One who is not kind and compassionate is, according to Paul, one who is eaten up with rage and malice and bitterness. That grieves our God. And, as God’s people, it ought to grieve us.

Let’s commit today to being “imitators of God…and live a life of love.”

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My thanks to everyone at the At The Cross Church of Christ in Mesquite. My family and I had a wonderful time worshiping with that group of believers, seeing old friends, and meeting brand new Christians whose lives are being changed by the saving grace of God in Jesus. The Allenhurst and Peachtree apartments in Mesquite are home to plenty of abuse and neglect and poverty and lonliness and despair. And At The Cross is reaching out to those places with the love of Christ and making a difference in the Kingdom. I praise God for them. And I thank God for the great people at Highland Oaks, Mesquite, and New Hope who are playing such a significant role in ministering to that church family.

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With the division title on the line, on the road in a hostile environment, against a good team on an unbelieveable hot streak, the Cowboys showed again that they’re pretty stinkin’ good. No Barber. No Witten. No matter. Romo’s great. His throw to the tight end in the corner of the end zone while he was being sacked in the middle of the field was another classic. Romo seems to produce one of those great plays that most quarterbacks have no business even attempting at least once a game. Who can stop them? The Packers?

Please?

Peace,

Allan

Thwarting Satan's Schemes

November 5, 2007 / Allan / 6 Comments

Regarding a member of the church in Corinth that had obviously sinned against Paul and the local congregation the apostle wrote this in 2 Corinthians 2:7-11:

“…you ought to forgive and comfort him so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you therefore to reaffirm your love for him…in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”

Paul’s purpose with this wayward brother who had sinned and then come back to the church was not to reestablish his reputation or the reputation of the church. It was purely redemptive. Love this hurting brother. Forgive him. Comfort him. Accept him. Because if you don’t, Satan wins.

If the Church is the visible evidence of God’s salvation work through Christ — God’s work of forgiving and accepting — then Satan’s schemes would be devised to destroy that evidence. Our mutual acceptance of one another and our forgiving one another is our participation with God in Christ of that same salvation work. Accepting and forgiving each other is how we demonstrate what Jesus has done for us. The whole point of the gospel is forgiveness and acceptance. And if Satan can keep us from doing that, he would consider himself successful. If we can’t practice forgiveness and acceptance with each other, how could we possibly be expected to practice it with others? Satan knows that. Our refusal to forgive and accept compromises the gospel. Satan knows that. We proclaim the gospel by the way we act toward each other. Satan knows that. He’s trying to outwit us. But we are not unaware of his schemes.

Forgiving each other and accepting one another thwarts the devils schemes against God’s Church. Let’s practice some of that strategic forgiving and accepting this week.

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John Weber, the long time team chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys, died Thursday evening of a heart attack at the age of 59. You can read a couple of the stories about his passing along with player comments about John here and here.

I had the very good pleasure of knowing John from our trips on the Cowboys charter while I was at KRLD. He and I sat next to each other on several of those trips and shared our faith and our love for ministry. It was on two specific trips, both in 2003, one to Philly and one to Detroit, that I talked to him about my desires to get out of radio and into Christian ministry full-time. He counseled me to stay in sports radio. He told me that there weren’t very many Christians in the industry, which I knew all too well (it was one of the reasons I felt I needed to get out), and that I was serving God by the way I was living my life in the world. He told me that over and over.

I eventually wound up rejecting that advice. But John was just so sincere and so optimistic and compassionate about me as a Christian and as a person that I’ve always cherished the conversations we had together. I was just talking about John to my Wednesday night class here at Legacy last week. John had introduced me to Russell Maryland at an Athletes in Action golf tournament that our radio station was co-hosting in 2004. And I was using the example of Russell, this massive former Pro-Bowler and Outland Trophy winner and Super Bowl champion, as an illustration to convey the idea of meekness in the Beautitudes. Power under control. The way Russell acted so gently with the small, fragile, handicapped children he met at that tournament. I was talking about John in my Bible class. And within 24 hours he was gone.

I remember a particular lunch at Chili’s off of LBJ and Preston Road in the spring of ’05. We were talking about discipleship. And I remember leaning over my cheesesteak sandwich and telling John, “Jesus never said ‘accept me.’ He said ‘follow me.'” We both decided right then that true discipleship to Jesus was what was missing in our churches.

John and I emailed each other only a couple of times after I left radio to go to school at Austin Grad. He was very gracious and encouraging and full of praise and affirmation. After I’d been here at Legacy a couple of weeks, I told him where I was and what I was doing. And we both said we needed to get together for lunch and get caught up.

Never did.

John was a great Christian man who impacted lots and lots of lives. He was beyond reproach in the way he lived and interacted with all those around him. The Cowboys have suffered two losses this season. Last Thursday’s loss of John Weber is the one that counts. It’s huge.

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I’d like to change my season prediction on the Cowboys to 15-1 and the Super Bowl.

Thank you,

Allan

What's Driving It?

October 22, 2007 / Allan / 6 Comments

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, (I would paraphrase Paul to this point by saying ‘if you’re breathing!‘) then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” ~Philippians 2:1-4

As followers of Jesus, our calling is to be just like him. As disciples of Jesus, we’re committed to being just like him. That’s out goal. That’s our aim. That’s what we desire to do and be more than anything else. It’s what drives us. Being just like Jesus. Thinking like Jesus. Acting like Jesus.

And Paul says that means putting aside your position, putting aside everything, to become a servant to others.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross. ~Philippians 2:5-8

If being a Christian means being like Jesus, if following Christ means acting like Christ, then Christians are called to serve, not to be served. Christians are called to minister, not to be ministered to. Followers of Jesus are called to think of others, not themselves.

Why are we Christians? Why?

Are we Christians so we can belong to a group of successful, well-dressed people who meet in a nice, large, modern building? Are we Christians so we can do things our way with our people at our time? Are we Christians because it’s comfortable for us to be Christians?

If so, that’s not Christianity. It’s something else.

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Our oldest daughter, Whitney, is undergoing her MRI at 1:00 this afternoon. We’re meeting with the doctors at 1:00 Thursday to hear the results of all of her tests on her eyes and her optic nerves. Please continue this week to lift her up to our loving Father in prayer. Our trust is in him. Our faith is in him.

I’ve told Whitney most of her life that she suffers the things she suffers because God knows she can handle it. He’s equipped her with a special spirit and a special endurance that others don’t have. Other kids couldn’t handle everything you’ve had to handle, I tell her. And I try to give her a vision of how God’s going to use these things she’s overcoming to minister through her to other people for the rest of her life. She’ll forever be able to assist people and encourage people in ways that you and I never will. God shows us his strength in our weaknesses. He reveals his power in our infirmity. His might is shown in our feebleness. Praise God for his wonderful love and provision for his children!

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OK. We only know this one thing about the Cowboys. All we know about the Cowboys is this one thing. We know absolutely nothing else about the Cowboys except this one thing. Other than this one thing, we know nothing. Everything we know about the Cowboys is summed up in this one thing. At this point, nothing else is known.

Against really lousy, awful, pathetic quarterbacks, the Cowboys look pretty good. Against very good quarterbacks, the Cowboys get shredded.

That’s all we know.

Anything and everything else is merely speculation.

Peace,

Allan

The Cup of Blessing

October 19, 2007 / Allan / 1 Comment

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”

The central image in the great 23rd Psalm is the prepared table, an obvious symbol of provision and honor. The fact that our Shepherd / King provides for us and honors us “in the presence of my enemies” paints a beautiful portrait of our God’s protection and blessing while we journey through life on earth. A life lived in the presence and power of God is still a life lived in a world not yet restored to the wholeness God intends. So, even though we presently experience divine presence and reward, we are still among the enemies.

We should recognize that being in Christ doesn’t mean the troubles, cares, pains, and dangers of this world are removed from us. We remain “in the presence of” our enemies. However, we should ask ourselves and reflect on the ways, day after day, our Father is setting a table for us in the presence of those enemies.

One of the ways our Lord protects us and provides for us is in acts of love and service done for us by our Christian brothers and sisters. When the culture and the world seek to taunt us and tear us down, we find comfort and strength in the handshakes of friendship, the caring hugs, the community of fellowship, and the unity we share in the blood of Jesus.

These acts of love toward us become tables prepared by God — and his people — in the presence of our enemies who want to ridicule us and shatter our hopes.

God prepares the table of provision and protection and honor. I challenge you, today, to become a caterer at that table to those we know and love who are surrounded by enemies.

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We’re preparing now to take Legacy from a church that does small groups to a “Small Groups Church.” And it seems the biggest hurdles here in making that transition are related to the concept of breaking down the already established larger groups into smaller groups so more people can be invited in. This is a church-wide struggle here. It’s not just one age group or demographic. Young, old, in-between — there are lots of people here very worried about breaking out of their comfort zones and their comfort circle of friends and engaging other brothers and sisters in the congregation who don’t have those kinds of friendships and connections.

In our congregational informational meetings (the next one is set for Tuesday evening, October 23) everyone completely buys into the concepts of applying the Word, connecting as a family, and evangelizing our community through Small Groups. But lots of people don’t seem to understand how it’s up to the established groups, who already see the significance of what we do, to lead the other 65-70 percent of the congregation in the same direction. I keep hearing that they’re afraid they’re going to lose their friends if they begin a new group. I keep hearing that what they already have as a group is so special, so meaningful, so deep and intimate, they don’t want to lose it.

If it’s that special and meaningful and deep and intimate, why in the world wouldn’t you want to share it? Why wouldn’t you want to grab three or four other families in our church and help them experience the same thing? Why wouldn’t you do everything you could — if it’s really that great — to mentor others to help them grow and minister in the same ways you have?

You must read Jennifer Green’s blog post from yesterday. Click here. She and her husband Aaron see the benefits of Small Groups. And while they’re deeply connected to an existing group in our Young Families Class, they’re determined to start a new group in January so they can involve other people in our church who need it just as badly as the rest of us. They already have in mind a couple of neighbors on their street they’re going to invite and involve. They’ve been praying about it for weeks. And they can’t wait for January. They’re already inviting people to join them. They’re encouraging the entire class to follow their enthusiastic example.

If you’re nervous about commiting to a new group or leading a new group or breaking your existing group up in order to minister to others, Jennifer’s blog will inspire you. Read it.

Thank you, Aaron and Jennifer. And thanks to all who are jumping in.

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The Cowboys’ last two games have been decided in the 4th quarter. In both of those 4th quarters, combined, all 30 of the closing minutes against the Bills and Pats, Terrell Owens was thrown to five times. He’s seen five 4th quarter passes come his way in the past two 4th quarters. He dropped one. Two were intercepted.

For the entire season, Owens has only three 4th quarter catches.

And here’s T.O. from Wednesday:

“That’s all on the quarterback. All I can do is run my routes. Look at the film and there’s some situations and opportunities for me to get the ball.”

Let the turmoil build.

Minnesota has the league’s worst ranked defense against the pass. You think Romo’s going to be throwing the ball all over the place Sunday? The Vikings also have the #1 rushing offense in the NFL. I’m thinking the Cowboys are going to lose the time of possession battle as badly as they did against New England. And if they’re throwing 75-percent of the time, that’s not going to translate into a win.

Peace,

Allan

Let the Turmoil Begin!

October 15, 2007 / Allan / 3 Comments

I thought it would take much more than a single blowout loss to the dynastic Patriots. I was hopeful throughout the entire Bills game last Monday night that, two losses in a row — against Buffalo and New England — would really show us what this Cowboys team is made of. It would be at that point we’d recognize that a brand new head coach, two brand new offensive and defensive coordinators, and a quarterback starting a season for the first time in his career can’t be any good. Not to be mention T.O.’s presence in that locker room. The fingerpointing would begin, the doubt would start to creep in. Questions.

And then, maybe, possibly, they’d lose to Minnesota and go into the bye week on a three game losing streak. Writers and reporters have to make up stories during the bye week. And all those stories would focus on what’s wrong with this lousy team.

Bingo. Turmoil.

But that Bills win nipped all that. A single blowout loss to the Patriots means nothing. It’s out of conference. It’s to a Super Bowl caliber team that whips everybody. No big deal. It’s just one loss. They’re still 5-1 and in the driver’s seat.

But I’m reading and hearing some of the stuff coming out of the Cowboys locker room last night and I think they might be already cracking at the seams. They may be even more fragile than we thought they were.

Terrence Newman was asked about the coverage on Kyle Brady’s TD catch that completely turned Roy Williams around in the end zone. Newman’s response was, “We had some guys doing some things that weren’t that smart.”

Tony Romo blasted Kyle Kozier on the field and on the sidelines for his holding penalty that negated a first down run on 4th and 1. That’s all well and good. As the quarterback, that’s Romo’s job. But Romo tells reporters last night the game was lost on that one play. The game was over when Kozier held.

Nice.

Romo also made it a point to say repeatedly last night that the Cowboys offense was playing under a lot of pressure because their defense couldn’t stop New England. He compared it to the way it felt playing quarterback at the end of last season when they couldn’t stop anybody and the Cowboys had to score tons of points or lose.

Nice.

When Wade Phillips was asked about the decision to kick the field goal on 4th and goal from the five, down 14 points with ten minutes to go, he said, “If we had a play that could score, I would think we’d have run it on 3rd down.” When told of Phillips’ comments, offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said he did have a play in mind, but he wasn’t asked.

Beautiful.

One loss. And already the back biting and finger pointing.

The Cowboys have played two games this year against playoff-caliber offenses. And they’ve been ripped apart by both of them. Eli Manning threw for 312 yards and four TDs in the opener. Brady yesterday threw for 388 yards and five scores. And both of those games were at Texas Stadium. After Minnesota’s Tarvaris Jackson next week, they face Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, Brett Favre, Jon Kitna, and McNabb again. It’s not too late to make a quarterback trade for your fantasy league.

48 points is the most the Patriots have scored in a game in 23 years. The Patriots scored six offensive touchdowns. The Cowboys scored two. The Cowboys haven’t scored a first quarter touchdown since the middle of last December. How are you going to get down 14-0 to the Patriots and expect to win? You can’t play catchup all game long with New England. The Cowboys offense never got on the field. New England went 11-17 on third downs. After the game, Roy Williams, the most overrated player maybe in Cowboys history, berrated reporters, “Just because we couldn’t stop them on third down doesn’t mean we’re a bad defense!”

Isn’t that the very definition of a bad defense?

One more quote. Terrell Owens made a big show by saying he wouldn’t talk with reporters, specifically about Randy Moss, until after the game. The two times reporters asked a question of Owens about Moss his reponse was simply, “Next question.”

Nice.

Let the turmoil begin.

Go Vikes,

Allan

No One Leads Alone

October 12, 2007 / Allan / 0 Comments

God’s call is never misunderstood. It’s not vague or ambiguous. The question in Scripture and in our own lives is never in discerning God’s call. It’s clear.

He tells Abram, “Go!” He tells Moses, “Speak!” God tells Joshua, “Lead!” He tells Gideon, “Fight!” He tells Samuel, “Serve!” God tells Isaiah, “Prophesy!” He tells Jeremiah, “Preach!”

And none of it’s easy. None of it’s appealing. And they balk at first. They throw up excuses and reasons for not answering the call. And every single time God tells them, “Hey! It’s not about you. It’s about me.”

“If I call you to do something,” God says, “I’m the one who’s going to do it. Not you. Don’t be afraid. I’m with you. We’re in it together. I’m God. Trust me.

The question in God’s call on our lives and in the life of his Church is never “Can you hear me now?” It’s always, “Can you trust me now?”

Sunday morning at Legacy we’re looking for 100 men and their families to sign up as Small Groups Church co-leaders. We’re establishing 50 Small Groups to meet weekly on Sunday evenings beginning in January. Each group is to have two co-leaders — no one leads alone — and so we need 100. Building up to those sign-ups, we’re going to explore God’s call to Moses here at Legacy Sunday morning.

But let me point out this today. If you’re a member at Legacy, think about this in terms of your place here in the body and your role in the opportunities the Lord is setting before us, specifically as it relates to our clear mission as the church to Apply the Word, Connect as a Family, and Evangelize our Community. If you’re reading this from somewhere else, chew on this in terms of whatever it is God is calling you to do right there wherever you are.

The task Moses was given to confront Pharaoh was not to be undertaken alone. Rather, he and the elders were to go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the Hebrew slaves (Exodus 3:18). At the same time, God provided Aaron as a helper to carry out God’s plan. Both Aaron’s role and that of the elders emphasize the role of the group in carrying out God’s will. Moses doesn’t do any of it by himself. He works for the group by working with the group.

Moses’ problem is that he looked at God’s call on his life only in terms of what he, Moses, could accomplish. Instead of viewing the call in terms of God’s power and will to accomplish the task, Moses saw only his own gifts or talents, or lack thereof.

Consider the call of God to serve the body of Christians and the community in the name of Jesus. And if we reflect on God rather than ourselves, we’ll approach that call with a peace that passes all understanding.

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We’re less than 24 hours away from Legacy’s 21st annual Give Away Day. And it looks like everything’s just about ready. The concourse is crammed with rows upon rows of racks loaded with clothes, sorted and sized for whoever needs them. It looks like we have more blue jeans than ever before, most of them brand new! We’ve had dozens of volunteers up here for the better part of two weeks sorting through all these things. But it’s still beyond me how it all comes together.

Every one of our downstairs classrooms is a designated “shopping” area. Some for shoes—again, most of them brand new—some for dishes and household appliances, and the others for more clothes.

We’ll have over 2,000 folks from our community in here tomorrow morning before 7:00. Everything’s given away free of charge. Everyone’s welcome. No questions asked. So many people will be touched by the love of Jesus. The stories we’ll be telling and re-telling for the next few weeks will be heart-warming. And I’m certain, just like last year and all the previous years, we’ll be impacted for the good much better than the ones we serve.

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As always, I’m not cheering for the Cowboys Sunday. But, at the same time, I can’t root for Bill Belichick and the Pats. It’s a combination of never wanting to root for the overwhelming favorite and current dynasty and some of that wanting to see history thing at work. It’s like rooting for the opposing pitcher in the 9th inning when he has a no-hitter working against your team. It probably would be really cool to see the Cowboys do something NOBODY expects them to do.

But I’m not rooting for them. I just want to see a good game. Part of me thinks the Pats will win 45-10. But I’ve been wrong on most things so far this season.

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Our dear sister in Christ, Sue Godwin, passed away at her home yesterday afternoon, surrounded by her family and great friends. What an inspiring picture of Christian perseverance and character. What a truly wonderful model of faith in her Lord. The times I visited her and prayed with her, she always told me she was ready to go, but scared. She knew exactly where she was going, but she was worried about getting there. In the name of Jesus the Christ, we again commit the care of her body and soul to our God. The One who calls us is faithful. And he will do it.

Peace,

Allan

Category: Cowboys (Page 49 of 55)

A New Attitude and Mind

Thwarting Satan's Schemes

What's Driving It?

The Cup of Blessing

Let the Turmoil Begin!

No One Leads Alone

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